Today’s photograph is of a male Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis). I managed to get a picture of it Saturday before the thunderstorms really cut my walk short at the park. It flutter between a couple of trees and a power line before I decided not to really risk being out in the storm and I headed back home (I’m assuming it also went back to its’ nesting area as well to get out of the rain). These birds can be found year round in Oklahoma, though it has been awhile since I’ve seen one up at the lake.

Their names can be somewhat misleading—while they are blue—they’re only blue on the back. If you look at the bird from the front, they have a red-brown breast. This is why at first I had thought I’d gotten a picture of a painted bunting instead of the bluebird. Though I should have realized based on the size, that it was the bluebird and not the bunting.

Here are some other interesting facts about bluebirds:

It is the state bird of both Missouri & New York.

The male will collect nesting material & bring it to the nesting cavity—but it is the female that will actually build the nest. The female is also the one that incubates the eggs.

Their diet usually consists of insects, fruits & berries. Though they can catch & eat prey that is larger than insects: such as snakes, lizards, and tree frogs (to name a few).

They usually have two broods a year (on average 4-5 eggs), both parents feed the young. The young leave the nest usually two and half weeks after hatching on average (depending on time of year).

They are found across eastern North America and throughout Central America (down to Nicaragua & Honduras).

References:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Eastern_Bluebird/overview